This year has seen a substantial increase in the demand for entry level infant school places in Earley, particularly in the middle of Maiden Erlegh. We represent parents who live in the small triangle between Aldryngton, Loddon and Hawkedon Schools, all of which are within a few minutes’ walk and whose children were unable to secure a school place at our catchment or preferred schools. You identified the requirement for an increase and have extended Hawkedon School to meet part of that perceived need. Due to high levels of demand for good education for our children, and the effect this is having on local demographics, more places are required than first anticipated. Numbers are unclear but we understand that virtually another form of entry may be required. What action can you take to alleviate our concerns, as parents, and what assurances can we have that suitable places will be found for us within reasonable walking distance of our homes?
Minutes:
Question
This year has seen a substantial increase in the demand for entry level infant school places in Earley, particularly in the middle of Maiden Erlegh. We represent parents who live in the small triangle between Aldryngton, Loddon and Hawkedon Schools, all of which are within a few minutes’ walk and whose children were unable to secure a school place at our catchment or preferred schools. You identified the requirement for an increase and have extended Hawkedon School to meet part of that perceived need. Due to high levels of demand for good education for our children, and the effect this is having on local demographics, more places are required than first anticipated. Numbers are unclear but we understand that virtually another form of entry may be required. What action can you take to alleviate our concerns, as parents, and what assurances can we have that suitable places will be found for us within reasonable walking distance of our homes?
Answer
Historically school place planning in particular for primary schools was completed on an annual cycle. This led to an over reliance on bulge classes and responses to initial offers to parents. This led to a less sustainable and planned school estate and various drains on the Dedicated Schools Grant.
Our Primary Strategy 2013-2016 set a more strategic approach and helped successfully resolve school place issues in identified priority areas of the Borough. Our Primary Strategy was due to be refreshed for this Autumn. We are pleased to report that we are ahead of schedule in developing our refreshed strategy
Subject to the ongoing work around the refresh I anticipate that additional capacity will be required to meet local demand for places in September 2016. However, we expect fewer children in the 2017 Reception year across the Borough because of a fall (both local and national) in the number of children born in the 2012/13 academic year. The refresh will therefore consider the case for a permanent school expansion in light of this change and other evidence. Officers will work with local schools, members and the community to develop the best way to address these issues.
Part of the challenge (then and now) relates to the popularity of Earley schools, particularly with Reading as opposed to Wokingham residents. Whiteknights and Earley St Peters are relatively lacking in popularity with Wokingham residents (26 and 30 first preferences respectively from WBC parents when both can take 60 and 70 school children in reception). If not chosen these school places are then offered to children living in Reading Borough, where parents had expressed a preference for these schools. This has meant Earley places were not available for children living in Earley. If we could encourage Earley parents to consider these two schools more, this would have made an impact this year and potentially many fewer diverts.
For this years admissions; approximately 29 children from across Earley have been offered places at schools in adjoining areas. This number will though change between now and September, when the new academic year starts, as waiting lists clear and individual family circumstances change. We have had experience of this with schools in Wokingham when we had this situation a couple of years back, this does genuinely happen. Offers have been made to well resourced schools for those parents, and I believe you are one of them in this situation, offering permanent places in areas that adjoin Earley. Where these are beyond walking distance we will help parents get their children there. The average home to school distance (radial distance) to a diverted school is 1.9 miles (ranging from just over a mile to just over 3 miles).
Senior Officers have met, and will be meeting again any Earley parent who wishes to over the next few weeks, to ensure we have explored all options. Officers will also continue to support parents in providing regular updates on waiting lists and supporting travel and admissions enquiries.
This afternoon I can report that a delegation of Earley Members have also met with Officers and have resolved to set up a Task and Finish Group to review this matter for this year and also next year where there is also an increase in numbers before the drop off in numbers again in birth rate.
Supplementary Question
Given that the Council has access to the Borough data for the number of children claiming free 15 hours of EYFS childcare, how and why has this data not been utilised to correctly predict the number of reception school places required within the same area which now leaves Earley with approximately 30 children without a school place within their own community?
Supplementary Answer
It is very difficult to triangulate all of the data, but the Council uses lots of different factors to find out exactly where we think children will be coming into our school places; but it is not an exact science. We are one of the authorities that lead on this and we are extremely good at getting this data right. This year has seen a change in what we were expecting. The Council uses birth data, but we also asked Health Visitors for their data because they undertake two year old checks.
The Council can also use data such as you have suggested. The problem is that we also have inward migration and residents selling their homes as well. This varies across the Borough. So it is not an exact science and it is possible to get changes that have these different occurrences that are not predicted. I am sorry about that and I am sorry that this has affected you and your family.